Some word processing program modules, such as the “WORD 10” word processing program module marketed by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., include the concept of a table style. A table style is a collection of formatting attributes that may be applied to a table. The formatting attributes may include borders, shading, indentation and alignment, among others. The user may select a table style from a list of standard table styles and apply the table style to a table.
Even though standard table styles are useful, they do not allow a user to create their own table style from manual formatting and apply that style to other tables. So, if a user wants a table formatted differently than a standard table style, the user must either create the custom table style (using a user interface) or create and format the table manually. Users do not mind manually formatting a table and they often do so. However, users become frustrated when they are unable to apply formatting from a table they have already created to another table and must repeatedly format a table the same way. Thus, one drawback of existing word processing program modules is that a user is not able to manually create and format a table and then automatically apply the formatting attributes to another table.